The Assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti. Send Your Response.

Pakistan Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was murdered Wednesday morning. He was the only Christian member of the Pakistani President’s Cabinet. Bhatti, a Roman Catholic, courageously spoke out against the misuse of the country's blasphemy laws by Islamic extremists and spoke up for religious minorities, including Christians. His positions made him the No. 1 target of the Taliban but he still committed himself to standing up for the minorities and for human rights.

I am deeply saddened by the assassination of Pakistan's Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti today in Islamabad, and condemn in the strongest possible terms this horrific act of violence. We offer our profound condolences to his family, loved ones and all who knew and worked with him.

Minister Bhatti fought for and sacrificed his life for the universal values that Pakistanis, Americans and people around the world hold dear - the right to speak one's mind, to practice one's religion as one chooses, and to be free from discrimination based on one's background or beliefs.

He was clear-eyed about the risks of speaking out, and, despite innumerable death threats, he insisted he had a duty to his fellow Pakistanis to defend equal rights and tolerance from those who preach division, hate, and violence.

He most courageously challenged the blasphemy laws of Pakistan under which individuals have been prosecuted for speaking their minds or practicing their own faiths.

Those who committed this crime should be brought to justice, and those who share Mr. Bhatti's vision of tolerance and religious freedom must be able to live free from fear. Minister Bhatti will be missed by all who knew him, and the United States will continue to stand with those who are dedicated to his vision of tolerance and dignity for all human beings.

I think this was an attack not only on one man but on the values of tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and backgrounds that had been championed by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan

He (Bhatti) was a patriot. He was a man of great conviction. He cared deeply for Pakistan, and he had dedicated his life to helping the least among us.

I finally got to sit down and talk to him [last month] and was just astounded by his humble spirit and his passion. He struck me during the conversation as kind of the Pakistani Martin Luther King, Jr.

He was just so concerned with the rights of the minorities and he was so passionate about Jesus and about doing what was necessary even though he knew he was a target. I was just so deeply impressed with him.

I think the assassination of Pakistan's only Christian Cabinet member and the main voice for religious freedom [in Pakistan] really casts and ominous vision on the country's future because his work for minorities was the best chance that that country had currently for all religions to be respected in Pakistan and for the majority of Islam to be represented well to the rest of the world.

Only Pakistan can determine whether it will be a country where religious extremists will rule or whether all religious citizens will be treated with respect and given freedom to practice their religion. They got to decide that. This is, I think, a galvanizing moment for all voices who want a society that is governed by reasonable, yet devoted Muslims to take their country back from extremists.

This event is a call for all reasonable and faithful citizens to stand against the forces of personal destruction that comes from the religious fundamentalist and extremist voices throughout the world.

It was nice to meet you and discuss important issues with you during my visit to Washington. Thank you for your support, solidarity and prayers. Thanks for letter and press release. I had very memorable and productive trip to Canada and USA.

I appreciate your commitment for religious freedom and your dedication for the persecuted and marginalized Christians.

My meeting with you was a source of encouragement for me and I thank you for the solidarity shown by you for the religious minorities of Pakistan.

As you are aware, I have been re-inducted into the reconstituted Federal Cabinet of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari despite severe opposition from the extremists included me into the reshuffled Federal Cabinet.

My induction has sent a wave of joy and encouragement among the religious minorities across the country, especially the Christian community.

I personally believe that it is Jesus Christ who has once again bestowed unto me this responsibility and position with a special purpose and mission to serve the suffering humanity and I am determined to carry on defending the principles of religious freedom, human equality, social justice and the rights of minorities.

I am looking forward to welcome you and your delegation in Pakistan. Kindly encourage WEA network and other friends to keep me in their prayers. It is time to stand in solidarity.

The brutal assassination was an outgrowth of that country’s blasphemy law, which fuels extremism and violence rather than keeping the peace.

Threats against his life were widely known, but Minister Bhatti continued to courageously advocate against the forces of violent extremism and the blasphemy law.

The Commission extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Minister Bhatti. He was our friend. He will be missed.

We believed he was Pakistan’s brightest light of hope for the advancement of freedom of religion and human rights more broadly.

Who will now take up his work? Do the highest levels of Pakistan’s government have the resolve, courage, and leadership to do so? To date, they haven’t demonstrated those qualities.

The assassination today of Shahbaz Bhatti in Pakistan – a true hero for human rights and religious freedom for all – illustrates how barbaric that country’s system of blasphemy laws really is. Blasphemy laws don’t keep the peace, but embolden extremists.

After the murders of Salman Taseer and now Shahbaz Bhatti for their advocacy against the blasphemy law, President Zardari must find the political courage to enact meaningful reforms, or Pakistan may well be lost.

The United States and the international community need to urge Pakistan in the strongest terms to respect the human rights of all its citizens, bring the murderers to justice, and amend this deeply flawed law.

Hopefully Pakistan and other countries will learn this lesson before any more human rights heroes are killed.

The World Evangelical Alliance is grieving the loss of Pakistan’s Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, who was assassinated today in Islamabad. The WEA condemns in the strongest terms this senseless act of violence and urges the government of Pakistan to bring to justice those who committed this crime.

Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, WEA Secretary General stated, “Not only have I lost a dear personal friend, but the world has lost a great champion for religious liberty, human rights and the protection of human dignity for all people.”

The WEA commends Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for creating the Ministry for Minority Affairs, for appointing a minister from a religious minority community, and for forcefully condemning the assassination of Minister Bhatti. The WEA urges the Government of Pakistan to honor the pioneering work of Minister Bhatti and his memory by ensuring the swift appointment of another strong advocate for minorities to build upon all that he accomplished.

Minister Bhatti was an outspoken critic of Pakistan’s blasphemy law and had been calling for its abolition. Pamphlets left by the assassins labeled him an “infidel Christian” and cited his opposition to the blasphemy law as the reason for his assassination.

The killing of Minister Bhatti underscores the peril religious minorities in Pakistan are facing as a result of the blasphemy law and the culture of animosity this law continues to foster within the country.

Dr. Tunnicliffe met Minister Bhatti just recently to discuss the situation in Pakistan and plan a high level visit to Islamabad by WEA leaders.

Ten days ago Shahbaz Bhatti was re-inducted into the cabinet of the government of Pakistan. According to Minister Bhatti his induction “had sent a wave of joy and encouragement among the religious minorities across the country, especially the Christian community.”

Yesterday, a day before his assassination, Minister Bhatti wrote in a communication with Dr. Tunnicliffe, Secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance:

"I personally believe that it is Jesus Christ who has once again bestowed unto me this responsibility and position with a special purpose and mission to serve the suffering humanity and I am determined to carry on defending the principles of religious freedom, human equality, social justice and the rights of minorities."

Writing to Geoff Tunnicliffe yesterday, in what was one of his last communications, Bhatti called Christians around the world to prayer for Pakistan saying, “It is time to stand in solidarity.”

The WEA will continue to champion the work of heroes of the faith, like Minister Bhatti, and speak out for marginalized and persecuted people in all societies.

It is with great shock and dismay that we received news of the assassination of Mr Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Minority Affairs in the government of Pakistan. We are deeply concerned by this heinous and outrageous crime directed against a member of your federal cabinet.

We understand that Mr Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated by religious extremists because he was critical of the controversial blasphemy law in Pakistan. We have been informed by our member constituencies in Pakistan that Mr Bhatti was a man of courage and conviction who had recently stated that he was ready to sacrifice his life for the principled stand he had taken “because the people of Pakistan are being victimized under the pretense of blasphemy law." It was while Mr Bhatti was openly advocating amending the blasphemy law that he was assassinated by extremist forces.

We condemn the deplorable killing of a lawmaker of the country, and we also are concerned about the vulnerable situation in which Pakistan’s minority communities are living. Once again this act demonstrates that the extremists will stop at nothing in their desperate attempt to force religious extremism and violence on Pakistani society. We are of the opinion that terrorist activities in any form or manifestation pose a serious threat to peace and security in any society. Violence and terror are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of motivation.

Your Excellency, the World Council of Churches has followed with great concern the use and misuse of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan as well as persecution of the religious minorities in the country.

We urge the government of Pakistan to take all necessary measures to provide safety and security to the Christian minority in Pakistan, and other minorities, and not to be deterred by the violent crimes committed by religious extremists.

The World Council of Churches calls upon Your Excellency’s government to swiftly undertake the investigation necessary to identify the assassins and bring all who are responsible for this brutal murder to a court of law.

It is with the greatest shock and sorrow that we have heard of the assassination of Mr Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Religious Minorities in Pakistan. This further instance of sectarian bigotry and violence will increase anxiety worldwide about the security of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan, and we urge that the Government of Pakistan will do all in its power to bring to justice those guilty of such crimes and to give adequate protection to minorities.

Meanwhile, we assure Mr Bhatti's family of our prayers and deep sympathy, and promise our continuing support for all those of whatever faiths who are working for justice and stability in Pakistan.

The assassination of Shabbaz Bhatti, Pakistani minister for minorities, is another terrible episode of violence. It shows how right the Pope is in his persistent remarks concerning violence against Christians and against religious freedom in general.

Bhatti was the first Catholic to hold such an office. We recall how he was received by the Holy Father in September last year, and how he bore witness to his own commitment to peaceful coexistence among the religious communities of his country.

Our prayers for the victim, our condemnation for this unspeakable act of violence, our closeness to Pakistani Christians who suffer hatred, are accompanied by an appeal that everyone many become aware of the urgent importance of defending both religious freedom and Christians who are subject to violence and persecution.

Shahbaz was a tireless crusader of human rights and was a voice of the voiceless in Pakistan. He loved his country and labored faithfully to bring in liberal democratic values as a legislator.

He was a voice of sanity in a Nation filled with violence, hatred and strife. As a champion of minority rights and religious freedom, he fought against the blasphemy law at every instance. His untimely death is not only a loss to the nation of Pakistan but also to the democratic world, worldwide.

The World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission and every right thinking person in Pakistan and beyond condemn this dastardly murder and are deeply saddened by this heinous crime.
We urge the government of Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime as soon as possible.

I condemn the assassination of Mr. Bhatti – Pakistan’s only cabinet-level Christian and an outspoken critic of the country’s blasphemy laws – by suspected Islamic extremists.

This was a cowardly act and is another blow against religious tolerance for Christians and all minorities in Pakistan. He was a devoted and outspoken advocate in protecting the rights of all minorities, not only in Pakistan, but around the world.

This comes on the heels of the assassination of Punjab Province Governor Salman Taseer two months ago and the sentencing of Asia Noreen (Bibi) to death on blasphemy charges last year. Obviously, Muslim extremists are determined to purge the country of anyone supporting the release of Asia and the possible repeal of the blasphemy laws.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is becoming a country of martyrs.

I plead for Christians to unite in prayer for the situation in Pakistan and the toll it is taking on Christians and other minorities. God answers prayers in a mighty way – just last week Christian aid worker Said Musa was released from prison in Afghanistan after concerted prayer.

Moeller says some of the prayer requests include:

• Comfort for the Bhatti family in this time of mourning for loss of a loved one
• New Christian leaders will rise up to the fill the vacuum of the assassinations of Bhatti and Taseer
• Christians will not let fear dominate their lives, but remain strong in the faith
• The perpetrators of the assassinations will be brought to justice, and the Lord will work in their hearts to seek forgiveness
• Blasphemy laws in Pakistan and in other Muslim-dominated countries will be overturned.

It is heartrending to receive this news, but it is unfortunately not unexpected. The last time I was with Shabaz in 2010, I asked him about his security and if the Islamists were closing in. He had lived under the cloud of this eventuality for many years and he knew he was on borrowed time. He was a close friend of ICC and started working with us helping Pakistan’s persecuted Christians in the 1990’s.

We will dearly miss him. He courageously defended the rights of persecuted Christians in Pakistan despite living under the constant threat of death. He died as a martyr for a cause he believed in.

We are grieved to inform you about the assassination of Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti Minister for Minority Affairs and Human Rights this morning at about 11:30 a.m. by the militants. According to sources Mr. Bhatti came to see his sick mother and the moment he went out from his mother's residence to attend the Federal Cabinet meeting, the unknown attackers shot him dead. Our sources further stated that his driver immediately rushed to the nearby Shifa International Hospital, where his death was confirmed by the doctors.

Mr. Bhatti was under grave threats of life by the Islamic Militant Organizations and severely requested for security. After the assassination of Mr. Salman Taseer, Governor of Punjab, Mr. Bhatti faced intense opposition from Islamist elements when he condemned the murder of Mr. Taseer and supported his objection against the country's draconian blasphemy laws, which carry the penalty of death in a highly publicized case, a Christian woman named Asia Bibi.

Soon after hearing this tragic news, Joseph Francis immediately left for Islamabad to visit the place of occurrence and know about the motives behind the killing of Mr. Bhatti and will share our findings accordingly.

Please pray for Martyr Shahbaz Bhatti's soul may rest in Peace. Pray for his parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and Pakistan's Christian Community. May God give them His own peace and strengthen them to tolerate this painful incident of the murder of their beloved son.

As you have no doubt seen on the news, Pakistan’s Minister for Minorities Affairs, and close friend of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated this morning.

Shahbaz was shot by a group of unknown gunmen as he left for work this morning. He is believed to have been assassinated because of his long-term stand against Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws which are often misused to target religious minorities. Shahbaz had received numerous death threats over recent months, so it is unclear why police and security forces were unable to protect him.

CSW has worked closely with Shahbaz for over twelve years and is grieved by this morning’s news. But, we are determined to continue Shahbaz’s work for religious freedom in Pakistan and to support, pray and advocate for Pakistan’s religious minorities.

Thank you to all of you who responded to Shahbaz’s request at CSW’s Conference in 2009 to dedicate one minute a day to pray for him. He spoke passionately of his fight for religious freedom in Pakistan, saying, “This position [as Minister] cannot change my determination to pursue justice, because I live for religious freedom and I am ready to die for this cause.” We know that he felt the strength of your prayers and encouragement.

Pakistan’s religious minorities are now in an even more difficult and delicate position and need our prayers more than ever. Now, in his memory, we ask you to take one minute every day over the next few weeks to pray for justice, religious freedom and inter-faith harmony in Pakistan.

You can help honor the memory of Shahbaz Bhatti by asking your MP (Member of Parliament) to sign EDM 1518, condemning the assassination and urging the Pakistani Government to reconsider reviewing the blasphemy laws as a matter of urgency.

In Shahbaz’s own words we encourage you to, “…pledge together that we will work together to promote harmony, tolerance and we will bridge the gap among different faiths and we will strengthen this world with the message of peace and tolerance.”

I had the privilege of knowing and working with Shahbaz Bhatti. In September 2009, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom invited him to Washington so that chairman Leonard Leo could present to him the commission’s first religious freedom medallion. At that time, Bhatti vowed again to reform the blasphemy law: “They are using this law to victimize minorities as well as Muslims of Pakistan. This law is creating disharmony and intolerance in our society.”

Death threats were a constant in Bhatti’s life for many years. He once told me that he had never married because he did not think it would be fair to a wife and children to subject them to this concern. His work was his life: At the end of each day, he left his government Cabinet office and headed over to his office at the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, where he continued to help Pakistan’s persecuted minorities until late into the night.

“I personally stand for religious freedom, even if I will pay the price of my life,” he had said when he received the USCIRF award. “I live for this principle and I want to die for this principle.”

Pakistan’s blasphemy law stands in the way of other key reforms and secures the place within society of an ever-radicalizing political Islam. What happened today to Shahbaz Bhatti is tragic and, to Pakistan, even more horrifying.

Pakistan has lost another brave heart. Two months after the Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, my father, was assassinated for speaking out against Pakistan's cruel blasphemy laws, Shahbaz Bhatti was shot dead by unknown assailants. Bhatti was one of Pakistan's progressives.

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The majority of Pakistani dignitaries fell silent after my father's murder, but Bhatti spoke out and condemned it. Many times. I will never forget that. He continued to support the revisions to the blasphemy law knowing he was up against a clerical tsunami. I salute his bravery. But the frontiers of free expression have shrunk drastically. In a country that calls itself a democracy, one wonders if there is space any more for dissent and debate.

We stand in solidarity with fellow Christians who live as threatened minorities in their homelands. Shahbaz Bhatti was a courageous advocate of Christians and other minorities in Pakistan. We express our deepest condolences to his family, and we pray God will give courage to others to defend oppressed peoples in that country.

Mr. Bhatti promoted interfaith dialogue with the goal of advancing religious tolerance within the broader Pakistani society. Now, his courageous voice has been tragically silenced.

We urge the United States to work in partnership with the government of Pakistan to ensure that concrete steps are taken to protect the human rights and religious freedom of all its citizens, including vulnerable minorities.

We have lost a great leader. He was very bold in advocating for our rights. He wanted to see Pakistan as the nation dreamed of by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of our country, a civilized nation where religious freedom and expression of all people was guaranteed.

He was very courageous and I was proud of him. He was deeply loved and respected by all Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Parsi and Buddhist minorities of Pakistan.

The Quran teaches Muslims to respond to those who blaspheme the Prophet and other sacred symbols of Islam with that which is 'better.' 'Good and evil cannot be equal; repel evil with something which is better and verily he between whom and thyself was enmity may then become as though he had always been a close, true friend, (Quran 41:34).' Surely murder can not be that which is better.

We ask that the government takes every measure necessary to secure the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, as well as their safety and those of their places of worship.

We also ask Islamic scholars to stand up for the rights of those minorities in their midst as the Quran teaches. To do nothing will only play into the hands of the extremists everywhere in the world.